Assignment: Things Fall Apart can be appreciated on a number of levels. For one, readers observe a masterful blend of African and English language. Additionally, readers appreciate a story rich with foreshadowing and symbolism. However, for Achebe, his reasoning for writing this novel could not be more clear. Read "An Image of Africa: Achebe's reaction to Conrad" which is a very famous essay that Achebe read at a lecture at the University of Massachusettes in 1975. Here's the link: http://www.cis.vt.edu/modernworld/d/Achebe.html . Read carefully and you will learn the true reason why Achebe believes it was his life's purpose to record this story. While reading, consider who his intended audience was for this speech. Can you identify any specific emotions in this essay? After reading the novel, do you believe that he achieved his goal? Post!
Here is a more recent interview with Achebe as he recounts the success and criticism of his novel. This interview is more casual and you will clearly see a difference in the tone from his initial public address. While the information is quite similar, there are some interesting difference in tone and his ability to reflect back on the last thirty years.Achebe's Interview
Chinua Achebe's Reaction
Assignment: Things Fall Apart can be appreciated on a number of levels. For one, readers observe a masterful blend of African and English language. Additionally, readers appreciate a story rich with foreshadowing and symbolism. However, for Achebe, his reasoning for writing this novel could not be more clear. Read "An Image of Africa: Achebe's reaction to Conrad" which is a very famous essay that Achebe read at a lecture at the University of Massachusettes in 1975. Here's the link: http://www.cis.vt.edu/modernworld/d/Achebe.html . Read carefully and you will learn the true reason why Achebe believes it was his life's purpose to record this story. While reading, consider who his intended audience was for this speech. Can you identify any specific emotions in this essay? After reading the novel, do you believe that he achieved his goal? Post!Here is a more recent interview with Achebe as he recounts the success and criticism of his novel. This interview is more casual and you will clearly see a difference in the tone from his initial public address. While the information is quite similar, there are some interesting difference in tone and his ability to reflect back on the last thirty years.Achebe's Interview